Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Cobra Kai’ enters its last season, bringing new challenges for its characters. While many learn from past lessons and change their ways, others go through significant transformations, but none quite as shocking as Tory Nichols. After being one of the bad guys for five long seasons, Tory finally enters a redemption arc following the events of Season 5. Her rivalry with Sam ends as they both apologize to each other, and Tory joins Miyagi-do. But then, a stroke of tragedy undoes everything about her, and it raises several questions about her future. SPOILERS AHEAD
Tory’s Mother was Always Meant to Die in Cobra Kai
While the main characters’ personal situations are widely explored in ‘Cobra Kai,’ Tory’s backstory remains mostly in the dark. We are given glimpses into it, but the show never fully goes into the picture. Her father is in prison, and she has a young brother she takes care of while nursing her mother, who has been sick for a long time. Her mother’s sickness plays an important part in her story because it is one of the, if not the only, motivating factors for her. Despite the repeated mention of the illness, we never really find out what her mother was suffering from.
All things considered, it is clear that whatever her mother had was terminal. The doctor talks about the five years that she got, which means they weren’t expecting her to live for so long. She also seemed to have recuperated to get her life back together, and doing the chores at home was also considered a miracle. But in any case, she was supposed to die sooner or later, which is what Tory’s mother had warned her about.
The official cause of her death is revealed to be pulmonary embolism, which makes Tory angry about the doctor’s not catching it in time. It is more heartbreaking for her because her mother had been doing so well recently. When she was in the hospital, Tory was mentally prepared for the bad news to strike at any time, but with her getting better with each day, she developed hope for a better future, and this is why her mother’s death hit so hard. Moreover, the timing of her death also raises several questions.
Kreese is the Only Person to Benefit From Tory’s Mother’s Death
It is curious to see how Tory’s mother dies exactly when Kreese comes back to America and after Tory refuses to join him. This also allows him to get into her head again as she leaves Miyagi-do and joins Cobra Kai again. One might think that Kreese is not so bad that he would kill someone to get his way, especially when the person in question is someone he seems to care for. Kreese has shown some emotional connection to Tory, much like he did with Johnny, and has favored her because he related to her strong spirit of fighting against all odds.
But then, one must consider Kreese’s recent experience in Korea, where she finally acknowledged that Johnny is his only weakness and he must kill the weakness to win. He seems to have let go of whatever love he held for Johnny, and extrapolating from that, we can say that he has let go of whatever affection he felt for Tory. He has tapped into a new side of his ruthlessness, which means he is not beyond killing Tory’s mother to get her into Cobra Kai because, without Tory, they could never win. So far, this is pure speculation, but this theory gains more weight when considering Tory’s future arc.
How Will Tory Find the Truth About Her Mother’s Death?
Tory returns to Cobra Kai and Kreese because she thinks she isn’t accepted at Miyagi-do and will always be considered inferior to Sam, a feeling exacerbated after her mother’s death. However, it is established that she is not a bad person and is simply misguided. When she sees something wrong happening in front of her (like with Silver), she knows better than to stick with the bad guys. With her mental and emotional state in a wreck, it will take something potent to pull her out of Kreese’s influence. So far, she believes Kreese is the only one left who cares about her. She will only break out of his spell when she discovers that he is the reason behind her biggest tragedy.
Could the blood clot in Tory’s mother be the result of something Kreese did, like poisoning? The camera panning to her tightly closed fist also points towards the possibility of a physical altercation. It is possible that Kreese showed up at the house while Tory was away and poisoned her mother, who couldn’t have fought back because she was already sick and Kreese was too strong for her to oppose. Very little time is spent between her mother’s death and her spiraling into anger and leaving Miyagi-do. Considering that it takes longer than that for the hospital to deliver a detailed autopsy and reveal the real cause of Tory’s mother’s death, there is a good chance that Tory will find out about it in the middle of Sekai Takai, or perhaps later when she has won, her anger has been let out, and she is of clearer mind to go over the facts again.
Perhaps a CCTV footage or the mention from a neighbour of Kreese being around her house during the time of her mother’s death will spark the suspicion. Or perhaps, Kreese will end up spilling the secret of his own when Tory refuses to play dirty, because she has learned from the All Valley Tournament, and despite all her flaws, knows the importance of winning a fair fight. No matter how it happens, if Kreese really is responsible for her mother’s death and not simply lucky, then the truth will out and Tory will be forced to reconsider her allegiance and go back to Miyagi-do and her friends, for good.
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